Emulsion apparatus



7 July 26, 1938. s MCCRAY 2,125,245

EMULSION APPARATUS Filed June 28, 1935 H.S. M Crag his ATTORNEY Patented July 26, 1938 PATENT OFFICE EMULSION APPARATUS Howard S. McCray, Port Neches, Tex., assignor to The Texas Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application June 28, 1935, Serial No. 28,979

1 Claim.

This invention relates to an improvement. in dispersing apparatus for dispersing one immiscible liquid into another, for example, the apparatus is applicable to the production of dispersions .of asphalt, paraflin, and other thermoplastic hydrocarbons in water.

It is a primary feature of the invention to provide an apparatus of this character which will embody in the dispersing apparatus no moving parts and which will form dispersions of relatively small particle size and of high degree of uniformity and stability without excessive power consumption.

The invention will be more fully understood 16 from the following description when considered in connection with the drawing, wherein,-

Fig. l is an elevational view of one form of apparatus embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of a portion of the dispersing tube and chamber.

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are horizontal sectional views taken on the lines 3-3, 4-4 and 5-5 of Fig. 2.

In carrying out the present invention there is provided a dispersing chamber shown as a tube 6 mounted in a vertical position and having an internal diameter of from 2 to 8 inches and an overall length of from 2 to 10 feet, the tube shown in the present embodiment having an internal diameter of 4 inches and an overall length of approximately 5 feet. The tube is provided internally with a number of transverse dispersing plates 8 each formed with a plurality of small openings through which the maerials to be dispersed are passed. The openings in the plates 8 are of minute size, for example, being between and of an inch in diameter. It is preferred to have the openings in the lower half of the tube somewhat larger than those in the upper portion, for example, the openings may be inch in diameter in the lower half of the tube and $5 of an inch in diameter in the upper half of the tube although, obviously, these exact dimensions are not essential. The plates extend entirely across the tube 6 and, as shown, may be mounted by being placed between spacing tubes III, the construction requiring the passage of the dispersing material through the openings'in the plates 8 as the material passes upwardly through the tube. A succession of baiile plates l2 and 12a are positioned between dispersing plates 8, the plates being formed with restricted passages l3 and "a, respectively, through which the materials being dispersed are passed. Successive openings l3 and Ila are preferably positioned on opposite sides 5 of the dispersing chamber to cause more thorough mixing, the plates 8, I2 and l2a being held in their set positions by engagement with the key l5 secured to the interior wall of tube 6. The purpose of the passages l3 and lie is to cause an accumulation of the material being dis- 5 persed at points between successive dispersing plates so that when the dispersed materials are finally discharged from the dispersing chamber they will be entirely uniform in character. The passages l3 and Ba may occupy approximately 10 1 0' of the cross sectional area of the tube, the passages being sufficiently large that they form little obstruction to the passage of the materials through the tube and likewise they have little dispersing action on the materials passing 15 through the same.

The apparatus can be used for dispersing any usual type of material, such, for example, as heat liquefied asphalt, paraihn, or like hydrocarbon material. It is customary to supply a dispersing agent either with the melt or in the water solution or both. The present invention contemplates the use of any preferred dispersing or stabilizing agent.

The materials to be dispersed and the water or other liquid provided to constitute the continuous phase of the dispersion are preferably introduced into the lower portion of the chamber under substantial pressure, for example, from 5 to 50 pounds per square inch gauge. To this end 30 there is provided a pump H for receiving heat liquefied asphalt or other material from a suitable source of supply, not shown, the pump forcing the material through the conduit l6 into the lower end of the dispersing tube 6. The supply 35 of material and also the pressure under which the same is supplied can be controlled either through control of the speed of the pump ll or by means of the control valve l8 or both. In order to produce a uniform flow of materials through the dispersing chamber a surge drum 20 is preferably mounted between the pump II and the dispersing chamber 5, the drum 20 absorbing temporary variations in pressure in the material passing into the dispersing chamber.

The water, carrying dissolved stabilizing material or alkali for reaction with the stabilizing material, in case the latter is introduced with the melt, is supplied by means of the puinp 22. This pump receives the water or caustic solution from 50 a suitable source of supply, not shown, and forces the same under pressure through the tubing 24 into the lower endof the dispersing tube 6 adjacent the discharge end of ,the tubing IS. The flow of the water solution can likewise be regulated by varying the speed of the pumfi 22 or by valve 26 or both.

The finished emulsion is discharged from the upper portion of the dispersing chamber by means of a suitable overflow device, shown as tubing 28 which may have a suitable flow restricting device similar to valve l8.

In operation? it has been found that by introducing the materials into the dispersing chamber 6 under substantial pressure of from 5 to 50 pounds gauge} the apparatus has a very high capacity, without undue power-consumption. The restricted openings the dispersing plates 8 break up the *bitumin'pus orother material into fine particlesjftending to the formation of stable dispersions. By accumulating the stream of material first adjacent one sideof the tube and then the other, accomplished by staggering the petssages" and !3a, the discharged product is substantially uniform during ng rmal operation 'of the apparatus. A gauge pressure of approjrimately 40 pounds square inch adjacent the pump has been iiound to be the most satisfactory.

Qbviouslyi many modifications and variations of the invention, as hereinbefore set forth, inay be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, and therefore only fsuch limitations should be imposed as are indicated in the appended claim. 

